Earlier this week, U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) reintroduced a critical piece of legislation to help domestic violence victims and their beloved pets. The Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act, H.R. 1258, would amend the Violence Against Women Act to extend existing federal domestic violence protections to four-legged family members.

Image courtesy Animals & Politics/iStockphoto.

Only three percent of domestic violence shelters nationwide currently allow pets. Just like many pet owners stayed behind during Hurricane Katrina and put themselves at risk because they couldn’t bring their pets with them, many battered women remain in dangerous situations rather than leave a beloved pet behind with an abusive spouse or partner. The PAWS Act establishes a grant program so that domestic violence shelters can make accommodations for victims’ pets, keeping endangered women and their pets both safe and together. continue reading…

— Each week the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) sends out an e-mail alert called Take Action Thursday, which tells subscribers about current actions they can take to help animals. NAVS is a national, not-for-profit educational organization incorporated in the State of Illinois. NAVS promotes greater compassion, respect, and justice for animals through educational programs based on respected ethical and scientific theory and supported by extensive documentation of the cruelty and waste of vivisection. You can register to receive these action alerts and more at the NAVS Web site.

Since most state legislatures have ended their sessions for the current year, this week’s Take Action Thursday celebrates legislative victories you’ve helped make happen.

State Legislation

As the calendar year nears its end, a majority of state legislatures have adjourned and most of the bills introduced this year (or in states with a two-year session in 2013 and 2014) have died in committee. A number of these bills were featured in past issues of Take Action Thursday, but the good news is that some of the bills did become law!

NAVS strives to advance the principles of justice and compassion for animals through our educational programs, including Take Action Thursday. Please help ensure the effectiveness of advocacy on behalf of animals by contacting your elected officials. Take a minute to thank your state legislators who give their support to bills that further the welfare and well-being of non-human animals.continue reading…

When married couples divorce, who gets to keep the dog? Under the law, dogs are considered to be personal property, and no matter how loved dogs are, they are not treated like children under the law. Many judges do not want to get involved in pet disputes. The family pet sometimes becomes a powerless victim of the breakup. Recently, courts have been ruling dog custody at other forms than property. In the New York Post on December 4, 2013, there was an article about a pair of divorcing women about to fight it out in court over a miniature dachshund named Joey. It will be New York’s first matrimonial pet-custody case. The attorney for one of the women, Sherri Donovan said, “It recognizes the special place of pets in our families.”

Joey–courtesy Animal Blawg

Manhattan Justice Matthew Cooper opines in his ruling granting the women oral arguments. According to the article, the only bone of contention in their divorce is who will get sole custody of their 2-year-old pet, Joey. One of the women gave Joey as a gift to the other women, which she claims always sleeps on her side of the bed. Judge Cooper notes that New York law lags behind other states’ legal standing of their pets, and that “most pet owners would not trade their pets for even $1 million in cash.” The judge will schedule a hearing to determine Joey’s fate, instead of regarding him like a piece of property. Judge Cooper wants to hear the truth about who bore the major responsibility for meeting Joey’s needs. He will be asking questions such as: “Who spent more time with Joey on a regular basis?” The judge says, “there is certainly room to give real consideration to a case involving a treasured pet.” The parties are still working out a date for the hearing.

Some state courts like those in Kansas decline to stick their noses in custody cases; others have leaped at the chance to treat canines like humans in legal proceedings. In Alabama, a judge awarded a dog to one spouse over the other by taking into consideration the pet’s “best interests,” a standard used in child custody cases. Thus, the potential for changes in pet custody laws seems to be at a peak because pets are becoming such a big part of our lives. Courts are beginning to change the property analysis and are more willing to treat pets more like children. Some courts have considered the best interest of the pets in determining who gets custody of them. Also, some courts have awarded shared custody, visitation, and alimony payments to the owners.

"Service Animal" Scammers (New Yorker): An increasing number of your neighbors have been keeping company with their pets in human-only establishments simply by claiming that the creatures are their licensed companion animals and are necessary to their mental well-being.